Waterslide that decapitated a 10-year-old was built to ‘impress producers’ of Xtreme Waterparks

10-year-old Caleb Schwab died Aug. 7, 2016 on the tallest waterslide in the world, Verruückt, after the raft he was riding in became airborne and he was decapitated by metal bars that supported overhead netting. His “death seemed like an isolated accident until whistleblowers from Schlitterbahn revealed that experts who examined the slide found evidence indicating other rafts had gone airborne and collided with the overhead hoops and netting before the fatality,” the Associated Press reported.

And the slide’s poor design and rushed construction—which included installation of nets and metal hoops because rafts were flying off the ride during testing—were in part because the park’s owner was trying to get attention for it and the park on the Travel Channel’s Xtreme Waterparks.

“The indictment uses quoted statements from a reality TV show that was scripted for dramatic effect that in no way reflects the design and construction of the ride.”

The ride was poorly designed without any input from actual engineers, according to the indictment, and plagued with problems, including more than 10 injuries.

A special episode of Xtreme Waterparks that aired June 29, 2014, focused on the slide’s construction. It was titled “Building the World’s Tallest” and the network’s description said the episode would “Go behind-the-scenes of the making of the world’s tallest water slide – Schlitterbahn’s Verruckt in Kansas City, KS. At 168-feet, 7 inches, Verruckt is the Guinness World Record holder for the tallest water slide on the planet.”

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about Andy Dehnart

Andy Dehnart’s writing and criticism about television, culture, and media has appeared on NPR and in Vulture, Pacific Standard, The Los Angeles Times, and other publications. He has covered reality television for more than 18 years, and created reality blurred in 2000.

A member of the Television Critics Association who serves on its board of directors, Andy, 41, also directs the journalism program at Stetson University in Florida, where he teaches creative nonfiction and journalism. He has an M.F.A. in nonfiction writing and literature from Bennington College. Learn more about reality blurred and Andy.

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reality blurred is your guide to the world of reality TV and unscripted entertainment, with reality show reviews, news, and analysis. It was created in 2000 by Andy Dehnart. He's still writing and publishing it today.

reality blurred is regularly updated with highlights from the world of reality TV: news and analysis; behind-the-scenes reports; interviews with reality TV show cast members and producers; and recaps and reviews of these reality TV shows, including Survivor, Big Brother, The Great British Baking Show, Shark Tank, The Amazing Race, The Bachelor, Project Runway, Dancing with the Stars, Top Chef, and many more.